Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-02-09
NEED OF COUNTY SUPERVISION.
Address of Prof. Hogg Before the Stas' su
perintepdent's Association.
Texas School Journal.

L y
supervision" was more unpopular than
the Blair bill is to-day. Its friends have
ce4tinued their efforts till now they feel
assured it will become fixed feature OF
the school law of Texas.
So complete 8 revolution has its solu-
ton.
The school men ere coming to the
front. Success-complete success-has
resulted from the city school manage
ment. No city, or even town, taking
charge of its schools has failed to provide
for supervision. These have, in most
cases, had supervision independent;
others have united the instruction Of
few classes with the supervision.
Now, what is good for the cities ought
to be good for the counties. From an in
vestigatfon, found Tarrant county and
Fort Worth two good examples. There
are richer and more populous counties
than Tarrant; there are several cities
richer and more populous than Fort
Worth; there are counties AID cities less
| popuIous than these. Besides, | know
more of these than others, aud hence
feel justified In taking them as examples.
! Fort Worth has. according to last
scholastic census, 2432 pupils; the county
J of TarTaut 46S5-ne6Iy twice as many.
| Fort Worth receives from state sppor-
! tionment, 81 1852; county lands Ceased),
! $500; city tex, about $4,000, or an ag-
gregate OF $27,552. The county receives
| from state superintendent, S22 ,25S; from
lease of county school lands S29l2; from
transfers, SSl2, or al aggregate of $780,
977.
| If to look after the interests of 2432
Fort Worth thinks it necessary TO have
city superintendent, what should Tarrant
county demand for the care and proper
training of 1855 pupils?
It's true that Fort Worth has few
thousand dollars more to spend than the
county at present; but not so much as
the county will have when it shall have a
competent county superintendent.
Indeed, it is not "dollars and cents"
that we are interested init is the educa-
ton, care and proper training of 1855
Efhildren between the ages now of eight
Hand sixteen.
n These limits should be-will BECK
tended from seven to twenty-one, and
then there will be COCO pupils to super
wise.
The main objection heretofore has been
the ''eXpense" of supporting the county
superintendent. Let us see to what ex-
tent this is valid objection. Judge Fur
man informs me that at present the coun-
ty Judge gets for what he does
For discussing the funds.....- .......... $3.50 90
For swearing teachers to their monthly
pay, or vouchers, l5o %
$3.50 90
For taking the scholastic census there is
! a.. ~
For examining teachers there is pail. $50 90
Making an aggregate of.......-.......... 1865 OO
From an investigation, l find that the
city of Galveston pays for supervision, as
compared with the amount paid for in
struCtion and supervision, per cent. :;
Houston, per cent; Sherman, 10 per
cent. San Antonio, per cent; Denison,
10 per cent; or an average of IA per
cent. But should we compare supervis-
ion with the whole amount expended, it
would bring the percentage down to
about per cent, or even less. In the
smaller towns, where the superintendent
does teaching, as well as supervision, the
percentage is greater.
The school fund of Tarrant county in
the aggregate was found to be S25 .977; 5
per cent. of this is Sl29S.S5; IA per cent
is 1892 80. The superintendent could
take the scholastic census for $3.50; he
could disburse the fund for $3.50; he
could approve the vouchers for $3.50; he
could examine the teachers for $3.50. Or,
he could save to the fund and the teachers
: 1865. Or, these amounts, increased by 5
per cent, would give him for his whole
time and entire service S2l63 S5-a better
salary than the superintendent of Fort
Worth and large ma ority of the city
superintendent receive.
This amount would give to large num-
Der Of the counties better salaries and
better men than the cities have. 1t
would give to men who, devoting their
whole time and energy, would bring
ABOUT a better system of schools, better
instruction and, in q word, q more eco
nomicsl administration Of our schools in
the country than csn possibly be had
under the present systematic county
Judge being additionally school superin-
tehdent.
~ The county superintendent, desiring to
l make his administrati' n success, would
II his examination of teachers, nominate
none tor places unless qualified. He
would be able to meet, to know, these
personally; ard, hence, ne would be ever
ready to counsel them, to aid them in
their difficulties. He would be accessible
at all times. Teachers, after travel
ing fifteen or twenty miles to
have their vouchers approved would
not be met at the courtroom door by
the Sheriff, informing them that ''the
Judge is very busy in the courtroom, and
he cannot be seen to-day" Imagineathe
disappointment OF this teacher and his
little family when he returns from his
long, weary and unsuccessful visit to the
county town.
s. And, finally, such a superintendent
tyould show, by his administration of ths}
Affairs of the schools, that these schools
cau be made the best, and the districts
whole counties-would begin TO tax
themselves for the support of their
schools.
We have seen that the state apportion-
ment is going to be-ls already-inade-
quate; that local taxation must be re-
sorted to in the counties, as in the cities.
Schoolhouses for the country are just as
necessary as for the city. Efficient
county supervision will hasten, will bring
this to pass Address before the State
superintendent Association, Corsicana,
December 80, 1886, by Alexander Hogg,
\ 49,. !